Seventh Generation: Time to #ComeClean

You know what’s wrong? Cleaning with dirty products.

Thankfully, a trusty cleaning product company thinks it’s time to change the perception of clean and we couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Seventh Generation.

Did you know not every cleaning product company discloses their products’ ingredients? Why? The law doesn’t require them to! Consequently, Seventh Generation has started a campaign in efforts to get the industry to #ComeClean. Again, thank you, Seventh Generation. You’ll notice a “thankful” trend in this review.

We have a lot of reasons to be grateful for this squeaky clean company. When we decided to give these products a try we thought we’d start with two of the most important cleaning venues in the house: the kitchen sink and the washing machine.

Hello, Free & Clear Dish Liquid, Blue Eucalyptus & Lavender Laundry Detergent, Free & Clear Laundry Detergent and Natural Liquid Fabric Softener.

Goodbye, dirt and toxins.

Sam’s Seventh Generation Experiment

I love cleanliness and hate messes, dirt and germs. I can be a little paranoid about it. Sorry, not sorry! You can even ask Patrick…I’m spraying down the table and countertops before he’s even finished eating! He even calls me the “Sanitation Police” and makes a siren noise when I start yelling at him for his meat-handling techniques. Again, #sorrynotsorry.

When I thought about switching to less toxic cleaning products I had one concern: is everything really going to get clean? I mean, those toxins had to be in there for a reason, right? Don’t they zap away all the nasties?

Then I learned that those toxins were probably making everything dirtier than before. That was something I just couldn’t accept. So, I was off to the land of experimentation…

Seventh Generation Dish Soap

Before I tried Seventh Generation, I tried Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap. (TBH, I tried it first because the packaging was cuter. I’m a sucker for that fluff!) The second I got it home and started washing dishes I was immediately turned off. It was so…dang…fragrant. This dish soap seriously smelled like an old lady that spilled perfume all over herself. BYE. Once I got through the bottle (yes, I stuck through it to the end… #perseverance), I went running to the store to buy Seventh Generation, thanks to my twin’s recommendation.

Thankfully, Seventh Generation had a Free & Clear version with no fragrance. I snatched that up and figured I probably shouldn’t risk buying a fragrant soap after my last fiasco. As soon as I put this one to the test, I knew I had a winner. Here’s how I knew… You know when you accidentally cook your protein pancakes a little too long? There’s that tough-to-get-off residue stuck on your pan and you just feel defeated. Just me? Case in point, this soap is tough. Seventh Generation is not messing around. Goodbye gross residue. Good riddance toxins. Hello clean dishes.

Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent

When I started to think about all the toxins that my clothes absorb when washing with the usual Tide or Gain I was actually concerned. That means those toxins absorb into my skin and I breathe them in all day. I didn’t even want to think about all the toxins in the bedding!!

Quickly and fearfully, I threw some Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent in my cart at the grocery store and was ready to kick out the toxins.

Oh, and I decided to give the Blue Eucalyptus & Lavender version a go because I’m a sucker for all things lavender.

Just like the dish soap, this stuff works! My clothes are clean and fresh and that’s all I care about. It’s not super fragrant and my clothes don’t necessarily smell strongly of lavender, but that’s okay. They don’t smell like sweat and dirt so I’m good with that!

One thing I noticed is there are sometimes little soap residue spots on my dark clothes..but it’s nothing terrible! When I take a damp rag to it, it comes right off!

Claudia’s Seventh Generation Experiment

My whole “cleaning products are actually dirty” freak out moment happened after Sam introduced me to the ThinkDirty app. Alex and I went on a rampage, scanning everything we could find that we used on a daily basis to see their levels of toxicity. Low and behold, our dish soap, laundry detergent and softener were BUSTED! Those dirty little things carried so many nasty chemicals and fragrances!

Without reservation, we threw these products away and replaced them with Seventh Generation. The price was the same as the other brands, but these cleaning products were made with way better ingredients. So why not give it go?

Seventh Generation Dish Soap

Similar thoughts to Sam on this one! Except I noticed it worked really well when I cleaned out my very oily popcorn pot….of course. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a popcorn FANATIC. And if you’ve ever popped your own popcorn, you know how olive-oily things can get. So I put this dish soap to the test thinking it wouldn’t clean nearly as well as Dawn, but I was happily surprised! My popcorn pot was perfectly clean after just two rounds of wash, rinse, repeat.

Since then, this dish soap has successfully cleaned my dishes, silverware, cups, pots, pans, crockpots, blenders, juicers, etc. (No I don’t have multiples of this stuff…it just sounded better.)

And best of all, it doesn’t dry out my hands! One of my biggest pet peeves is having dry hands.

I need to have moisturizer on me at all times! Luckily, this dish soap leaves my hands feeling totally normal – not moisturized but not dry.

We actually liked the dish soap so much that we started using their dishwasher packs too. These are GREAT! They leave the dishes completely spotless.

Free & Clear Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent & Softener

Before trying Seventh Generation, we were using Tide’s Free & Clear detergent. So when we made the switch to a chemical-free detergent, we stuck to the no fragrance rule. Even though I had already experimented with no fragrance, I was worried that my workout clothes would still be stinky after the wash. Nobody likes a smelly gym rat!

But guess what? My clothes came out completely clean and smelling fresh. Because this stuff cleans VERY well, your clothes might not feel very soft after you wash them. That’s why we decided to get the Eucalyptus & Lavender Fabric Softener. It adds a nice, light lavender scent to our clothes and leaves them feeling softer than ever. And best of all, the scent comes from essential oils and botanical extracts. So no weird ingredients to worry about there!

After many, MANY washes, my clothes have not lost their color or brightness and are clean as can be! Thanks Seventh Generation!

The Results

 Seventh Generation works. If you want reliable cleaning products that you can trust to keep your family healthy, look no further!

I’m ready to buy every product in their line so…we’re obsessed and Seventh Generation definitely receives a 9/10.

Have you experimented with Seventh Generation? What about other toxic-free brands? Tell us your stories!